Kpopped!: Understanding the Filipino Teens' Consumption
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
KPOPPED!: UNDERSTANDING THE FILIPINO TEENS’ CONSUMPTION OF KOREAN POPULAR MUSIC AND VIDEOS SARAH KRISTINE M. ALANZALON Submitted to the COLLEGE OF MASS COMMUNICATION University of the Philippines Diliman In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of BACHELOR OF ARTS IN BROADCAST COMMUNICATION April 2011 ii KPOPPED!: UNDERSTANDING THE FILIPINO TEENS’ CONSUMPTION OF KOREAN POPULAR MUSIC AND VIDEOS by SARAH KRISTINE M. ALANZALON has been approved for the Department of Broadcast Communication and the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication by Professor Perlita G. Manalili, Ph.D Professor Rolando B. Tolentino, Ph.D. Dean, College of Mass Communication iii BIOGRAPHICAL DATA PERSONAL DATA Name Sarah Kristine M. Alanzalon Permanent Address 27 Saint Theresa Street, Maricaban, Malibay, Pasay City Metro Manila Telephone Number (+632) 854-9436 Email Address [email protected] Date & Place of Birth 25 April 1991, Pasay City EDUCATION Secondary Level First Honorable Mention, Malate Catholic School, Malate, Manila Primary Level Malate Catholic School, Malate, Manila WORK EXPERIENCE Intern, DZUP 16021, April 2010 – June 2010 Intern, GMA Network, Entertainment Television, July 2010 – September 2010 ACHIEVEMENTS University Scholar: 1st Semester AY 2007-2008 to 2nd Semester AY 2008-2009 College Scholar: 1st Semester AY 2009-2010 to 1st Semester AY 2010-2011 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mom and Dad, thank you both for giving us a family so open and loving that all of us girls (and hopefully James too) are proud to have parents like you. Ate Agnes and Jed, I always pray that we’ll be together, even in the next chapters of our lives. James, you brought us so much happiness, and for that, I love you. Nanay, Tatay, Mommy, Daddy and Family. Because of all of you, I would want to live nowhere else but in Pasay. Jem, Nessa, Plinky, and Jea, I hope we become friends forever, through thick and thin. Camille, Charm and Chi, I had no real friends in UP, until you came. Because of you guys, UP life became bearable and fun. My favorite girl MG, my favorite partner Gen, my favorite director Jopet, my first friends JT and Janine, my frenemy Ryan, my Kpop buds Kem, Ana, Dove, and Karen, also Bianca, Rox, Dane, Mel, Micah, and every single classmate I’ve had, you touched my life somehow and I hope I touched yours too. Sir Reev Robledo and Sir Bryan Tibayan, thank you for making me realize my strengths and limits. Ma’am Maeanne Los Banos, thank you for instilling in me the value of fortitude. Ma’am Almond Aguila, thank you for teaching me proper thesis writing. Ma’am Melba Estonilo, thank you for teaching me the values of precision and discipline. Ma’am Pearl Manalili, thank you for your guidance and patience. Most especially, Lord God. You gave me a life that’s so blessed with a happy family and supportive friends. I will always strive hard to be a person truly deserving of all these blessings. Thank you, and most of all, I love you. v Dedication To the One above, my only Lord. To Mama and Dad, my pillar and strength. To Ate Agnes and Jed, my friends and confidant. To Jimmybee, my life’s happiness. To all Kpop fans, this one’s for you. To Big Bang, the one who inspired all these. And to you, who’s actually reading this two-year endeavor. vi ABSTRACT Alanzalon, S.M. (2011). Kpopped! Understanding the Filipino Teens’ Consumption of Korean Popular Music and Videos, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication. This thesis looked into the popularity of Korean popular (Kpop) music among the Filipino teens aged 15-19 years. The study used the combined assumptions of Straubhaar’s Cultural Proximity Theory, Ball-Rokeach and De Fleur’s Media Dependency Theory, and Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory. The researcher conducted both traditional and online surveys among 270 Filipino teenage Kpop fans, and focus interviews to six (6) Filipino fans of the Korean groups Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, Shinee, SS501 and U-Kiss. The researcher determined the variables of consumption of Kpop content, cultural offerings present in Kpop content, and needs of the fans satisfied by Kpop content. The study found out that Filipino teens are highly exposed to Korean popular music, and consumed these media texts everyday by utilizing various media, most specifically the Internet. The Filipino fans are also attracted to the cultural offerings of Kpop content, especially the visual elements including the physical appearance of the artists (face, fashion, hairstyle) and visual aspects of the music videos (choreography, sets). It was found that consuming Kpop content gratified the entertainment need of the fans through its appealing visual elements and high-quality content (songs, choreography, and talented artists). vii ABSTRAK Alanzalon, S.M. (2011). Kpopped! Pag-aaral ng Pagkonsumo ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Popular na Musika at Bidyong Koryano, Tesis, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Kolehiyo ng Pangmadlang Komunikasyon, Ang tesis na ito ay sumuri sa kasikatan at kalaganapan ng popular na Koryanong (Kpop) mga awitin at bidyo sa mga tinedyer na Pilipino edad 15-19 taon. Sa pag-aaral ng kaganapang ito, ginamit ang pinagsamang asumpsyon ng mga teoryang Cultural Proximity ni Straubhaar, Media Dependency nina Ball-Rokeach at De Fleur, at Uses and Gratifications nina Blumler at Katz. Nagsagawa ang mananaliksik ng tradisyonal at online na sarbey sa 270 na kabataang Pilipino, at anim na pokus na panayam sa mga tagahanga ng mga sumusunod na grupong Koryano: Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, Shinee, SS501, at U-Kiss. Sinuri ng mananaliksik ang mga konsepto ng pagkonsumo, elementong kultural, at pangangailangan ng kabataang Pilipino. Natuklasan ng saliksik na mataas ang pagkakalantad ng mga kabataang Pilipino sa Kpop, at ginamit nila ang iba’t-ibang midya sa pagkonsumo, lalo na ang Internet. Nagustuhan nila ang Kpop dahil sa mga elementong kultural, higit lalo ang mga biswal na aspeto tulad ng panlabas na kaanyuan ng mga Koryanong artista (mukha, porma, ayos ng buhok) at ang kalidad ng mga music video (koryograpiya, set). Ang pagkonsumo ng Kpop ay nakatulong sa gratipikasyon ng kasiyahan at katuwaan ng mga kabataan dahil sa mga kahali-halinang biswal na elemento at mga dekalidad na produkto (awitin, sayaw, artistang may talento). viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Title Page 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Background of the Study 1 Statement of the Problem 3 Objectives of the Study 3 Significance of the Study 4 Scope of the Study 6 Definition of Terms 7 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9 Media Consumption and Fan Subculture 9 The Filipino Fans 12 Foreign Media Content and the Filipino Audience 14 The Korean Wave 18 Integration of Related Literature 20 Research Gap: Korean Popular Music as the new Korean Wave in 21 the Philippines 3 STUDY FRAMEWORK 23 Theoretical Framework 23 Cultural Proximity Theory 23 Media Dependency Theory 25 Uses and Gratifications Theory 26 Integrated Theoretical Framework 28 Conceptual Framework 28 Operational Framework 29 4 METHODS AND PROCEDURES 32 Research Design and Methods 32 Concepts and Indicators 34 Research Instruments 35 Units of Analysis 36 Data Gathering 36 Data Analysis 37 Expenses 38 ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Title Page 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 39 Survey Results 39 Profile of Respondents 40 Consumption of Kpop Content 43 Cultural Offerings of Kpop Content 46 Needs of the Fans Satisfied by Consuming Kpop Content 58 Focus Interview Results 68 The Interviewees 69 Consumption of Kpop Content 71 Cultural Offerings of Kpop Content 78 Needs of the Fans Satisfied by Consuming Kpop Content 87 Synthesis of the Results 94 6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 102 Summary 102 Conclusion 106 7 IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 108 Implications 108 Recommendations 111 ENDNOTES 113 BIBLIOGRAPHY 123 APPENDICES 130 A. Survey Questionnaire 131 B. Focus Interview Guide 135 C. Lyrics: miss A’s Bad Girl, Good Girl 137 D. Lyrics: SS501’s Grean Peas 138 E. Lyrics: Shinee’s Get It 139 x LIST OF TABLES Number Title Page 1 Age of the respondents 41 2 Gender of the respondents 42 3 Respondents’ top choice of fan club 43 4 Frequency of consuming Kpop content 44 5 Respondents’ ways of consuming Kpop content 46 6 If the language barrier affected the respondents’ 48 appreciation of Kpop 7 If the respondents were learning the Korean language 49 because of Kpop 8 If the physical appearance of the Korean artists 50 affected the respondents’ appreciation of Kpop 9 Most appealing visual aspects of Korean music 51 videos 10 Respondents’ actions towards unfamiliar messages in 53 Korean videos 11 Respondents’ opinions on South Korea’s practice of 54 training talents 12 Themes and values present in Kpop videos that 56 appealed to the respondents 13 If the respondents bothered to learn about the 57 meaning of the songs 14 If the respondents took effort to memorize the songs 58 they liked 15 If consuming Kpop content contributed to 60 respondents’ knowledge of South Korea 16 If new knowledge influenced respondents to consume 61 more Kpop content 17 Kpop’s influence on the respondents’ identity 62 xi LIST OF TABLES Number Title Page 18 Aspects of respondents’ lifestyle influenced by Kpop 63 19 If the respondents have joined or participated in a 65 social group/s dedicated to Kpop music and artists 20 Respondents’ top choice of social groups 66 21 Respondents’ opinions on South Korea’s quality of 67 entertainment 22 Most entertaining aspects of Kpop 68 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Fandom is a way of life. Much like daily activities such as eating, walking, watching television, reading books and the like, fandom is a habitual activity for a fan. Sandvoss described fandom as the “regular, emotionally involved consumption of a given popular narrative or text”.1 There are emotions invested in the part of the fan such as adoration, idolization and other extreme feelings of fondness.